


And A Sprinkle of Fairy Dust

by nessundorma345 (wastrelwoods)



Category: Fairy Tales & Related Fandoms, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Gen, Too Much Disney Music Is Bad For You Kids, Unrelated Vignettes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-15
Updated: 2014-06-17
Packaged: 2018-02-04 20:07:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 1,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1791598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wastrelwoods/pseuds/nessundorma345
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After all, it's a relatively fine line between a superhero and a knight in slightly tarnished armor.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tale as Old as Time

"He trespassed on Hulk's property," the beast growled, near-incoherent with rage, and Natasha flinched. Damn it, she was never any kind of trained for this. Beween the bars, she could see Clint's face, bruised and bloody. "He stays."

"No," she managed, hands shaking, still refusing to meet his eyes, the burning flames in their dark depths. "No, you can't. He hasn't done anything." 

Snarling like a wild wolf, the beast tore the door from the glorified cage. Natasha ducked as it flew past her head, crashing into the stone behind her. "Hulk could kill him now, if you'd prefer," the thing mocked, gesturing to Barton's limp form with an air of total nonchalance. 

"Or else?"

"He stays there forever and starves. Or Hulk gets bored and crushes him like a bug." Its grin was unnervingly canine, and not a little green. Natasha felt her heart ready to beat out of her chest. 

"And if..." her voice shook too violently, and she cut herself off, stepping between the beast and the prison in a single smooth stride. "If I take his place, what happens?"

Blinking in suprise, the huge green creature stared her down. For a moment his dark green eyes were almost human. Then, a rumbling laugh left his lips, and he doubled over with mirth. "Take his place?" wheezed the beast, then straightened. "You're not serious." 

If she was unsure, Natasha refused to let it show. She stepped back, into the confines of the cell, and met the baffled green eyes of the beast. "Let him go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #1: Bruce and Natasha; Beauty and the Beast


	2. Poor, Unfortunate Souls

When they said that Howard Stark could work magic, they were closer to the mark than they'd ever realize. He grinned, entirely sharklike, at Steve's request.

"All this for a dame?"

"This isn't about Agent Carter," he refuted, noting the incredulity in Stark's smile. "I want to join the war."

"Poor little city boy wants to be a soldier, huh?" His eyes were flat and emotionless in contrast with that grin. "Well, it'll cost you."

Steve frowned. "I told you, I don't--"

He held up a hand. "Not money, Rogers. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly short on dough." Stark crossed to the table opposite, and Steve tried not to feel like he was being circled. "But a man can never have too much power." This smile was wider, and he could swear that his teeth glinted in the low lights. 

"So you want--"

"Let's put it like this: I make you the best soldier on the goddamn planet, you get fame, prestige, the gal of your dreams, and in return you scratch my back a little." Flipping switches, turning dials, he punctuated each word with the flickering of a light. "I want the Tesseract." 

"But that's--"

"It's a small price to pay." For the first time since discussing payment, the dead eyes met his again. "I'd ask more, but I always did have a soft spot for charity."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #2: Steve; The Little Mermaid


	3. When You Wish Upon a Star

"I don't think I've seen you here before." 

Jane spun around, the breath catching in her throat, nearly tripping over those _stupid_ shoes Darcy had insisted she wear. That was it: she'd be discovered in no time, sent back to Earth before she could gather even a quarter of the data she wanted, and there would be no fooling Asgard twice. Heart pounding as she came face to face with the _crown prince, oh God_ , Jane forced a smile onto her face. "Your highness," she demurred, too softly.

Thor Odinson chuckled at her bashful terror, extending a hand. "You have a very unforgettable face, my lovely Lady--"

"Jane," she blurted, before realizing her mistake and biting down on her tongue hard enough to draw blood. "I mean... Anbjorg." She paused for a moment, trying hard not to stammer. "Anbjorg Eriksdottir, your highness." Damn.

Shaking his head with a fond amusement that caused Jane's blush to go from pink to red, the prince took her hands in his, bowing to place a kiss atop her fingers. "Well, then, Lady Anbjorg, I offer you a dance." He began to lead her inside, faltering as she pulled away. 

"Sorry, it's just...I wanted to watch the stars." _Wasn't that putting it lightly._ "I have to...go home at midnight," she equivocated, as politely as she could. 

Blinking, he turned his blue eyes on her in thought, searching her face deeply enough to make her shiver slightly, though the night was warm. "Then let us watch them together," said the prince, with an unexpected warmth in his voice. 

 _Data, Foster,_ she reminded herself, as he drew a cloak around her shoulders. _You're here for data_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #3: Jane and Thor; Cinderella


	4. Some Day my Personal Assistant Will Come

Tony was surprised to wake up at all, much less to the ghost of a kiss, the rush of air into his lungs, the beat of his stubborn heart thumping in his chest. 

"Holy shit," he inhaled, blinking rapidly as he shot up. "Stane, you conniving, double-crossing son of a bitch--" And oh. Oh. That was Pepper placing a finger to his lips gently, and her lips had just been in that area round about ten seconds earlier, hadn't they?

Her smile was broad, half genuine and full of something soft and warm and half pained. It did stupid things to his already racing heart. Which brought to mind...

A quick glance down confirmed that the reactor was still there, still glowing as bright as ever. Still, Tony had to make damn sure, clasping his hand to the humming surface like a drowning man clinging to the only thing keeping him afloat. Meeting Pepper's amber eyes with gratitude and a rush of not-dead-yet adrenaline, he whistled. "That's the last time I eat an apple that came from that bastard's hands."

"Don't worry about it," Pepper said, and then her lips were right there on his again and maybe he'd thought about this before but it was so surreal and at least thirty percent more perfect than he'd ever imagined. "I killed him," she murmured against his mouth, which probably qualified as an inappropriate turn-on. 

"I know I'm the guy with the shining armor," Tony managed, suddenly recognizing that warm tickling feeling in his chest for what it was, "But you're definitely my white knight, Miss Potts." 

Pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead, Pepper let her hand close over his atop the arc reactor. "It's in the job description, Mr. Stark."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #4: Tony and Pepper; Snow White


	5. The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> apologies

From what Loki had heard of cold, it was meant to numb. Norns, but he wanted to feel numb. 

"It makes no difference, brother," Thor pleaded, the distant call echoing strangely through the halls. 

"Of course it makes a difference, you bloody fool," he said bitingly, but the thunderer was too far behind to hear. Raising his voice with the same newfound confidence that had driven him near-manic since escaping, he called back, "You should return to Asgard, brother." 

"I will," said Thor, closer now, "If you come with me." Yes, he and his new mortal companions, travelled thus far in search of the poor lost prince. Who was king regent now, with one of them running and the other following, unwanted, at his heels? Certainly not that greedy little fiancee of his. It was not to be borne.

An yet unavoidable, thought Loki, catching a glimpse of his reflection in the too-smooth ice. "It's not safe," he argued, trying to be the voice of reason even as his voice caught in his throat. "Asgard is only safe from me here." Frost was crawling over his hands again, infuriating in its instinctiveness. Thor's reflection joined his in the ice as he finally found the right door to burst through. 

His jaw clenched. "In a manner of speaking, it most certainly is not." Ice cracked unpleasantly under his broad feet as he shifted, uncomfortable.

Spinning to face his brother, Loki felt his brows lift in concern. "And what do you mean by that?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #5: Loki and Thor; Frozen


	6. When Will My Life Begin?

The hawks circled high above the tower, free to go where they pleased. He'd named them all by now, but sometimes the damned fool birds wouldn't come when he called. 

Still, Clint liked to watch them. He was good at that, watching. Watching people mill about in the street below, watching the occasional wanderer try the door that he knew to be nothing more than a wall from inside, watching the birds on the rooftops. 

Watching, and waiting. The man with the sickly blue eyes only came around once a week with food. The one with the dangerous smile and the expensive suits came by one time a year, wielding a pair of scissors and speaking to Clint in smooth, foreign tones he could barely decipher. Good with seeing, bad with hearing, that was Clint. 

The year was nearly up again, and his hair had gotten longer, long enough to warrant a ponytail at the back of his neck. There was nothing to do in the tower except for watching, waiting, and dropping raisins from the week's food supply on the passers-by. After so many years, Clint's aim was as good as his vision. 

He nailed the one with the stern features directly in the forehead, and inhaled sharply when the man's steely gaze immediately met his own, even separated by forty-odd floors of impassable nothing. It was him, the guy who kept trying the door. Clint had thought maybe he was stupid, or forgetful, or stubborn, but now he saw it: he was waiting too. 

Clint smiled widely at the man, who narrowed his eyes and nodded, ever so slightly. Something was going to change, and soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #6: Clint; Rapunzel


	7. I'll Make a Man Out of You

"Never again," Sif muttered to herself, wrapping the towel closer around herself like a mockery of a shield. Warriors and their completely _nonexistent_ sense of modesty were almost enough to make her wish she'd never left the hall. Exhausted as she was from training, it had been difficult enough to steer her train of thought from 'By Bor's ass, they're all naked' to 'So am I' and remember why, exactly, that was a bad thing. 

"Sindri," a low voice said, just loud enough for Sif to hear and nearly jump out of her skin. Short hair flying as she spun around, cursing for a sword, she couldn't decide quite whether to blush or curse again. 

Wrapping the towel as tightly as she could manage, Sif swallowed nervously under the searching gaze of the commander's brother. "Loki," she managed. "Fancy seeing you here. I thought you'd be in the bath with...everyone else." 

He smiled esoterically, and Sif found herself casting a wary glance around for the nearest sword. Damn it, it was a military camp, there should have been more weapons laying around. "I prefer a bit more privacy than all that." Loki's smile grew impossibly wider. "And you?"

Sif swallowed again. "Modesty. Yes."

Stepping closer, with a sudden commanding air he must have picked up from his brother, Loki let the smile drop. "Some of them are suspicious," he said softly but clearly, and Sif ground her teeth. "They think you have a small cock and you're trying to hide it, _Sindri_. Some think you prefer the company of men." His eyes dropped from her face to the towel drawn across her chest and narrowed. "An admirable effort," he continued with a laugh, "but we both know that's not quite true." 

"What do you want, Loki?" she snapped, hand half raised for a knockout blow if it proved necessary.

Backing off with a palpable air of smugness, he raised his hands pacifically. "Simply to tell you that your grand secret is safe with me," he said, and smiled again. The snake smiled far too often, in her opinion. "My Lady."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #7: Sif; Mulan


End file.
